High-risk activity not meant for children

November 4, 2007|By Nataly Kelly

A recent article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel described the potentially-dangerous practice of having children serve as interpreters for their parents. However, several extremely important points were overlooked related to the risks posed by this practice.

There are numerous studies that point to misdiagnosis, incorrect medication and possible life-threatening situations that are actually caused by using children as interpreters in health care settings. For example, a 2003 study published in Pediatrics noted an error rate of 84 percent when an 11-year-old was asked to interpret. Parents may also be reluctant to reveal their true symptoms when children are present. Speaking about blood in one's urine may prove to be quite uncomfortable in front of a child, let alone a discussion of sexual health issues, especially when the child's gender is different from the parent's.

Children can also be traumatized by the content of what is being communicated. In public safety and legal settings, the trauma inflicted upon children who have been required to interpret for their family members in certain situations, especially domestic violence and sexual assaults, has been shown to remain for many years afterward. Children often feel torn and burdened with strong senses of guilt about their inability to perform interpretation tasks sufficiently, especially if a parent's health, life or safety is at stake.

While Marjorie Faulstich Orellana condones children interpreting for an automobile accident by stating that it serves as a "profound learning experience," most of our nation's insurance companies, who employ experts in risk assessment, would vehemently disagree - they make sure that interpreting services via telephone are constantly available in more than 170 languages, to minimize the chance of a non-professional distorting critical information.

Many children in rural parts of the country are allowed by their parents to drive the family vehicle around the farm, in a low-risk environment. While children may feel a sense of pride in supporting their family in this way, we do not encourage minors to take to our main roads and highways, because it would put countless lives at risk. They must first meet minimum age requirements and pass a test.

Interpreting is also a high-risk activity. Just as children lack the physical and motor skills to drive until nearing adulthood, children simply do not have the cognitive development, language proficiency and knowledge of technical terminology to adequately perform the complex task of interpreting in most settings. As with driving, interpreters need to meet certain requirements, including certification for many settings.

There are a great number of professional associations in our country for interpreters - the American Translators Association (10,000 members), the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, and dozens of regional associations, including numerous local chapters and groups in Florida.

As Professor John Lewis correctly stated, children should not be asked to grow up too fast. Where interpreting is concerned, not only is it unnecessary, but the risks quite clearly outweigh any perceived benefits.

Nataly Kelly, a certified court interpreter for Spanish, is editing a book called, From Our Lips to Your Ears: How Interpreters Are Changing the World.